Glasgow Rangers are set to make a swift move to bolster their squad after they failed to win the Scottish Premiership title for the fifth successive season.
The Light Blues are closing in on the permanent signing of Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland on a permanent deal, after he led his side to a second-placed finish in the league.
A clause in his contract with the Jam Tarts means that the Gers are set to sign him on a free transfer, just one year after he penned an extension at Tynecastle.
Shankland scored 16 goals in the Premiership for Hearts as they battled it out with Rangers and Celtic, including a goal in the final day defeat to the Hoops when just a draw would have been enough to win the title.
The Scotland international is now poised to compete with Youssef Chermiti, Ryan Naderi, and Bojan Miovski for a place in Danny Rohl‘s team next season.
Rangers set for talks to sign Premier League talent
Signing Shankland, who has scored 88 goals in 171 games for Hearts, will only be the start of an important summer of transfer business for the Ibrox giants.
The Scottish striker is an experienced and proven quality addition to the squad at the top end of the pitch, but the club are also looking at a player who could benefit them in the short, medium, and long term.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, Glasgow Rangers are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Sunderland central midfielder Dan Neil in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Light Blues are planning to hold talks with the English talent in the coming weeks, as his contract with the Premier League side expires at the end of June.
Rangers want to snap him up on a free transfer and it is believed that he could be tempted by the prospect of European football and competing for trophies in Glasgow.
Wolves, who have been relegated from the Premier League, are one of the sides who could provide competition for his signature, though, so it will not be an easy deal for Rohl and his staff to get over the line this summer.
How Dan Neil can be a better signing than Lawrence Shankland for Rangers
Whilst Shankland could make a big short-term impact with his proven goalscoring, it remains to be seen how many years the soon-to-be 31-year-old will be able to offer the Gers.
Neil, meanwhile, turns 25 in November and has far more years left ahead of him at the peak of his career, which suggests that he would be a better signing for the club in the mid to long-term.
The English star’s form when he was a regular starter in the Championship for Sunderland in the 2024/25 campaign also suggest that he would step in as an immediate upgrade on Connor Barron in the middle of the park.
|
League stats |
Neil (24/25) |
Barron (25/26) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
44 |
27 |
|
Goals |
2 |
0 |
|
Assists |
3 |
2 |
|
Completed dribbles per game |
0.9 |
0.7 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.9 |
2.5 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.8 |
3.4 |
|
Yellow cards |
2 |
5 |
Sunderland’s former captain has the potential to offer more to Rohl’s side both in possession with goals and assists and out of possession with more tackles and duels won than the Scotland international.
Barron has failed to score a league goal in two seasons with the Gers and Neil could offer a greater threat at the top end of the pitch, which could be particularly important in the bigger matches when games are tight and one moment of magic can decide it.
Neil spent the second half of this season on loan at Ipswich Town and helped them to earn promotion to the Premier League with eight starts and 16 appearances, only losing possession 5.6 times per match on average.
The 24-year-old star, dubbed “phenomenal” by Doncaster Rovers star Luke Molyneux, has now won promotion in each of the past two seasons, with Sunderland and Ipswich, which shows that he is used to playing in a team that competes at the top end of the division.
He should be able to slot straight into the Rangers squad that is set to compete for the title next season, as he is used to playing dominant and progressive football, which may not be the case for signings brought in from struggling teams.
Therefore, Neil could be an even better signing than Shankland for the Gers both because of the quality that he could provide in the here-and-now, and his age advantage, which could see him become a key player for the club for a long, long, time.
Bye-bye Djiga: Rangers agree personal terms to seal Rohl’s 1st summer signing
Rangers are edging closer to a first centre-back signing of the summer.
